The Home of the Last Tsar - Romanov and Russian History

Nesterov was one of Empress Alexandra's favorite painters, his picture of the Annuciation hung in the Mauve Room.  He worked for Grand Duchess Elizabeth in her Martha and Mary convent in Moscow.  Here's a bio.

This icon was the Imperial standard of Constantinople and was paraded along the walls and carried into battle by emperors. Crusader loot - it's now in Venice